


everything is (not) as it seems

by chatonnerie



Series: Wizards of Yunmeng Place [2]
Category: Wizards of Waverly Place, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: A-Yuan is a cutie, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Area Angel discovers Love, Give Wei Ying A Vampire Boyfriend, Halloween, Lan Wangji is ready to pay child support, M/M, Multi, SangCheng in background, Urban Fantasy, WangXian, Wei Wuxian should not be trusted with a wand, Wizards V Angels, Wizards of Waverly Place AU, XuanLi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 09:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21251447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatonnerie/pseuds/chatonnerie
Summary: "I think we just need to be a bit more open-minded," Jiang Fengmian mused, counting out the cash register.Madam Yu turned to stare at him, blank faced, "Oh I'm trying. It's just that my book on parenting doesn't have a chapter on what to do when the half-brother of your wizard daughter's angel boyfriend, who also happens to be sworn brothers with both the elder brothers of your wizard son's werewolf boyfriend and your adopted wizard nephew's vampire boyfriend, is out to steal a tool that allows him to rewrite the morality of the entire universe."Her husband hummed, "It is a bit niche."





	everything is (not) as it seems

**Author's Note:**

> *Gives Wei Ying a vampire boyfriend for his birthday* It's what he would have wanted
> 
> Wizards of Waverly Place AU! aka I needed an excuse to write Wei Wuxian with Alex's lines because they can be so similar.  
Also, it halloween, so time to Lift the Spooky.
> 
> Title taken WoWP's theme song
> 
> Enjoy!

“I hate him.”

Wei Wuxian was petulant, standing behind the counter of the Jiang Family’s small little restaurant, wiping his way through most of their glasses.

Beside him, Jiang Cheng just nodded in agreement, even as he grabbed some more ham for Nie Huaisang.

“It is kind of annoying.”

On the other side of the small lakeside restaurant, Jiang Yanli was sitting in a window booth with her new boyfriend, the two of them talking and laughing on occasion. Stupid bastard was actually _blushing _about it.

“I don’t like any of this.” Madam Yu just grumbled beside them and they both turned to stare at her.

“Wait, Mum,” Jiang Cheng frowned, “_You’re _upset that A-jie is dating a literal angel?”

“No, that bit is wonderful. But of course, it had to be a _boy_.” The woman sighed dramatically, and Wei Wuxian snorted. She turned and glared at him.

“It is not funny Wei Wuxian. You’re gay. A-Cheng’s gay. I was hoping A-Li would complete the set and I’d finally get a daughter-in-law.”

“Hey, hey!” he protested, “Calling me gay is bi-erasure!”

“Aren’t you glad that you might get grandchildren though?” Nie Huaisang pointed out instead, perched on the other side of the restaurant’s counter. The werewolf was happily eating his way through their whole container of ham, unimpeded thanks to the efforts of his boyfriend.

Madam Yu just huffed and sailed back off into the kitchen.

Wei Wuxian waited for the woman’s back to vanish behind the door, before reaching down.

Even though it was almost explicitly against company policy, he still wore his huge black heeled boots to work, because they served an excellent secondary purpose of holding his wand (the primary, of course, was because Lan Wangji had taken one look at him in them and the rest of their evening had been spent very wonderfully). Retrieving the wooden rod, he deftly straightened and tapped the nearest clock. The two beside him jumped as the whole room shifted suddenly, and the clock advanced a full hour.

Jiang Cheng slammed his fist against the counter. “Seriously?!”

“I don’t want to work my full shift today!”

“I thought you promised you wouldn’t do any more time dilations after last semester’s exams!”

“Hey, only you two saw! Everyone else just had quick fun hour flash by!” he beamed, shoving the wand back down his right boot. Nie Huaisang reclined.

“How do you know that? Maybe I wanted to do something productive in that lost hour.”

They both stared at him and he blinked.

“I mean, I wouldn’t, but I could have. You’re taking away choices here, Wei Wuxian. Isn’t that a bit too ‘Darke Wizarde’ for the council?”

“Like I said, only you two saw,” he smiled sweetly, “And since you’re such a loving, caring family, you won’t tell~”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “Of course we won’t. Unlike _some people_, we value family!”

“Oi, who here doesn’t value family? Family’s important! They’re the people that _have_to like you!”

Nie Huaisang hid his smile as the two brothers glared, “A-Cheng’s only saying that because the sooner you get rid of your Mother’s debt, the sooner you’ll stop taking wizard points away from him.”

“A-Sang!”

Wei Wuxian burst into laughter, even as his adopted brother elbowed him hard.

“I’m serious! You need to start seriously considering your position in the Wizarding World! You know how many people are ready to declare you as the next ‘Cangse Sanren’!”

“I take my position very seriously!” he protested. Nie Huaisang responded to that by snorting.

“So what was that time you almost exposed all of Wizardry to the mundane world?”

“An accident! And a very smart idea that just hadn’t been fully thought out!”

“Your bad ‘accidents’ outweigh your good ones, you’ve gotten _ten _fines from the Wizard Council,” Jiang Cheng began nagging, “you don’t even have a password on your wand! Look what happened last time you lost it!”

He shrugged, uncaring, “I don’t need one. They’re dumb.”

Jiang Cheng looked offended and he sniggered, “Wait, don’t tell me you _do_. That’s such a gimmick, Jiang Cheng.”

“Yeah, well, now nobody can use _my _wand to flood the school!” he snapped back. Wei Wuxian just smiled at him.

“. . . Princess.”

He froze, “W-what, that’s, _no_, that’s not . . . it,” he dug out his wand from his pants and hastily began tapping the runes along the side.

“_Wei Wuxian . . .”___

All three of them stilled.

Madam Yu stalked out of the kitchen, a look of deep-set fury on her face. He swallowed nervously.

“Haha . . . hi, Aunty!”

“Would you mind telling me how I have been in a kitchen for an hour, but have not made a _single _meal?”

“Why do you always assume it’s me?!”

They all stared at him, with varying levels of the expression ‘really’?

“Because it _is _always you.” Jiang Cheng growled, and he snorted.

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

“FOR THE LAST TIME!” she suddenly roared, “NO THING-WE-CAN’T-SAY WHILST THE RESTAURANT IS OPEN!”

They all shrunk back, even the few of the patrons who were well used to the restaurant proprietress’s anger. Wei Wuxian slowly lid down against the counter.

“. . . Does that mean I can leave and be out of your sight?”

She smiled at him with all her teeth.

“No. You can make up that hour by helping out with Delivery Day. _Unpaid._”

With that she stalked back into the kitchen and he groaned, sticking his wand back down his pocket. Jiang Cheng smiled at him, evilly.

“Serves you right, you dipshit.”

“Oh, go suck a dick.”

“I believe that’s your job, Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang smiled over the counter and Wei Wuxian grinned, fluttering his eyelashes.

_“_DON’T MAKE ME COME OUT THERE AGAIN!”

It went without saying that they all hastily returned their attention to the cash register and coffee machine.

“Urgh, Delivery Day is the _worst_!” Wei Wuxian complained, as Wen Ning stacked up another box beside his, “It takes sooo long to sit here and stand guard!”

Wen Qing, helping her brother, just turned to stare at him, perched atop one of the boxes, drinking a slushy as she and her brother did all the lifting.

“Wow. Can’t imagine how _hard _that must be for you.”

Wei Wuxian just slurped on his slushy, before in a rather lovely moment of karma, yelped and immediately grabbed his head, “ARGH! Brain Freeze!! You see?! Worst! Day!”

She shook her head in disappointment and went back around to the truck. Wen Ning just chuckled under his breath.

“Wei Ying, maybe don’t drink so fast,” he offered instead, stacking a bunch near the back door of the Jiang’s restaurant. The wizard hummed thoughtfully, but they both looked up as Wen Qing reappeared without boxes, but with a fresh scowl.

“Hey, come check it out. The lovebirds~ have returned.”

The two boys glanced at each other, ditched the boxes and headed back out front.

Just a bit up the pier, Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan were walking arm-in-arm, him watching her adoringly as she pointed out the various lotuses blooming under the wooden walkways.

“Urgh, when does he take a break?” Wen Qing grumbled moodily, “A-Li and I haven’t had tea ever since he showed up - I was here first, dickhead.”

“Did you really call an angel a dickhead?”

“They’re all-forgiving, they can deal with it.”

Wei Wuxian snorted, before draping himself over Wen Ning’s shoulders, all three watching as the pair moved over to stand in line at a cart selling bouquets, very conspicuously surrounded by couples, “Ah, maybe we should sabotage their relationship - get Shijie to dump his worthless ass!”

“Where’s the selfish bit?”

“The Council has been on my back again about ‘rejecting the Darke Methodes’ of mum, especially since I now have ‘a positive, angelic role model!’ in my life,” he scowled, “if this keeps up, I’m never going to please them and it’ll fuck up my position as the Wei Family Wizard.”

She turned to stare blankly at her friend. “You know what _else_is going to fuck up your position? A little chronic issue you have called _laziness_.”

“I’m not _lazy_. . . I’m resting up for my thirties. Got a lot planned.”

“Hey, guys,” they both turned to see the human personification of a cinnamon roll frowning, “I don’t think . . . they’re _buying _flowers.”

The pair glanced back just in time to see Jiang Yanli neatly turn her back to talk to her boyfriend, conveniently shielding the moment she swiped a bouquet from the cart to hand over. The pair hurried away, giggling.

The three spying on them gaped.

“Holy fuck,” Wei Wuxian breathed, “Did you guys _see_that?”

“Mm,” Wen Ning frowned, “shouldn’t he be getting _her _the flowers? I thought he was trying to not be so self-centred.”

“No!” they ducked back behind the restaurant wall as the couple approached, entering through the front, “Shijie _stole _those! She’s never stolen anything! She once took one of those spare pens they always have lying around doctor’s receptions and ran back in tears to apologise and return it!”

“Yeah, the two of us and Mianmian once went out to a movie and we all bought water cups, and then she told us off for heading to fill them up with soft drink instead.”

“Did you though?”

“Nah. Mianmian did.”

“We stan a queen. Anyway!” Without any more warning, he grabbed Wen Ning’s wrist and charged around into the restaurant. “Shijie! Shijie!”

“A-Xian?” She turned, curious, as her douchefriend carefully arranged their not-so-legally obtained flowers in one of Madam Yu’s nice vases. He skidded to a stop beside them and exhaled sharply.

“Why did you steal those flowers?”

Wen Qing coming up behind them, just closed her eyes and thumbed the bridge of her nose. Jiang Yanli blinked and then waved a dismissive hand, smiling genially.

“It’s all right, isn’t it? I just stole something that grows from the _ground_. And, after all, it seemed like a good gift for A-Xuan since he’s already stolen my heart~”

The two cooed together, Jin Zixuan’s arms over her shoulders as he turned back with a challenging look.

“Exactly. So buzz off, Wei Wuxian.”

He sneered in return, waiting for Jiang Yanli to defend him.

“We just want to spend some us time!” she chirped. “Please don’t ruin it, A-Xian.”

He turned to stare at her, felt Wen Ning gripped his arm tighter in surprise. Wen Qing was full on scowling.

“What’s going on here?”

All five turned as Jiang Fengmian came out from the kitchen, glancing between them all in concern. Wei Wuxian immediately pouted.

“Ah, I could never tattle on Shijie~” he tapped his best friend’s arm, “Wen Ning, tell Uncle that Shijie stole those flowers for Jin Zixuan.”

“. . . _What_?”

“You know I hate tattling!” Wen Ning protested as Jiang Fengmian’s mouth fell open, the younger teen running off in a self-ashamed huff. Wen Qing absently whacked him in retribution, before venturing after her very gullible sibling. Jiang Fengmian just stepped up beside his godson, concern all over his face.

“A-Li . . . did you really steal? You’ve never done something like this before - you refuse to use a shop’s restroom unless you buy something first!”

“So?” she shrugged, still smiling, “come on, A-Xuan, let’s go somewhere else if my family’s going to be a bunch of nags.”

The pair brushed past them and Wei Wuxian was still slightly too shocked to so much as react when she bumped him on her way past. He just turned to stare at his equally baffled Uncle.

“. . . What the fuck just happened?”

“This is weird . . .” he moaned, flopped over a table at the Late Night Bite, eating his way through a Health Bowl, “Shijie’s acting so weird . . .”

“What do you mean?” Lan Wangji swapped his empty bowl for a new one without him even realising he’d finished the first and he mumbled thanks, reaching for his spoon again.

“She was so . . . abrasive. Like I expect that from Jiang Cheng because he’s a brat, but not from Shijie . . .”

Lan Wangji didn’t frown, but he did pause for a moment as he refilled Wei Wuxian’s coffee, “Jiang Yanli is acting . . . rude?”

“Mm!” he sat up and began angrily eating his way through the second bowl. Lan Wangji ventured out back and returned with a bowl of yoghurt. As soon as he was back within reach, Wei Wuxian abandoned the now empty second bowl to cling to his boyfriend’s arm.

“She’s being mean to me, Lan Zhan! I hate it! I hate it so much! Make it all go away!”

Lan Wangji thought it over as he sat down next to Wei Wuxian, dipping a spoon into the yoghurt and feeding his sulking goth-wizard boyfriend.

“. . . Is she not dating Jin Zixuan?”

“Yeah! Everything’s been shitty since she started _tolerating _that douchebag!” he frowned, sucking on the offered spoon. Lan Wangji just began absently braiding his hair, making sure the red bits he still sort of needed to dye out were visible and not too noticeably faded.

“Should dating an angel not be making her nicer?”

“Really?”

“Angels inspire a good moral compass - close proximity to them strengthens this feeling. Angels normally seek out those who are constantly straying in order to teach them to be good again.”

“Oh, I see . . .” he frowned, “Then how come I’ve never meet an angel before Jin Zixuan? I can understand why Jiang Cheng hasn’t because he’s a parent-sucking up nerd, but surely I’ve done some shitty things.”

Lan Wangji blinked, “Wei Ying, I love you more deeply than my own soul. But that doesn’t change the certainty that your moral compass has the consistency of a roulette wheel. ”

He snorted, sitting back and quickly finishing the yoghurt and coffee - Lan Wangji pouted slightly at having the spoon taken from him.

“Wangji. Young Master Wei . . .”

They both glanced up, to find Lan Xichen smiling down at them both, and more specifically, at the veritable banquet Wangji had been slowly bringing out to comfort his moody boyfriend, a trace helplessly, “Please tell me you will be paying, for at least some of it.”

Wei Wuxian let out a small noncommittal hum, turning to the vampire beside him, “Lan Zhan?”

He nodded, facing Lan Xichen, “I will pay for it in my wages, Brother.”

The elder just sighed. Wei Wuxian blinked.

“Hey, Big Brother Lan - you’re older than Lan Zhan, right? Like decently older?”

“I suppose so,” Lan Xichen frowned at the question, “I mean, yes Wangji’s three hundred, but I’m only five hundred - it’s not that big of an age gap.”

“But, in that time, have you ever encountered any angels? like in person, or on the job? Not snooping around wizard training camps?”

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji both exchanged looks, before Lan Xichen just shook his head.

“Ah . . . Young Master Wei? We’re damned beings - angels wouldn’t come within ten feet of us.”

“Oh . . .” he chewed it over before blinking and turning to Lan Wangji, “wait, even you, Lan Zhan? I thought your whole ‘soul’ thing prevented that.”

He shrugged, “Principle of the matter.”

Wei Wuxian blinked, before growing, sitting back, “So nothing, huh . . .”

“Well,” they both turned as Lan Xichen shifted slightly, “_Guardian _Angels, no. But I have had multiple encounters with Angels of Darkness.”

They both blinked up owlishly, “What’s that?” Wei Wuxian asked, wide eyed with interest and Lan Xichen smiled.

“Bad Angels - they tempt you with power and greed to lure you over to the bad side to do bad things.”

The Late Night Bite’s bell twinkled.

“Hey, we have one of those in the Wizarding World!” Jiang Cheng grinned, dropping his elbow _hard _into his brother’s skull, “it’s called Wei Wuxian!”

Said brother just waggled his fingers coquettishly, as his brother and Nie Huaisang joined them.

“So, what’s up?” Jiang Cheng asked, slotting into the chair beside them, “Why are you asking about Angels of Darkness? Are you that ready to lose your right to become your family’s wizard?”

Wei Wuxian whacked him.

“He’s concerned about your sister.” Lan Wangji intoned, and Jiang Cheng frowned.

“A-Jie? What’s happened now?”

The three all stared at him.

“Now?” Lan Xichen echoed nervously, and Jiang Cheng nodded.

“Yeah, she used one of Mum’s good scarves to wipe up a drink she spilled.”

“I think Madam Yu was too stunned to complain.”

“And then she tipped the rest out on a passing tourists head, because ‘it wasn’t worth her anymore’.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t know quite what shape his face was making but Jiang Cheng nodded.

“Yeah. I know, right? What’d she do on your end?”

He quickly summarised the whole flower debacle and his brother just squinted at him.

“She was rude to _you_?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay something’s going on, she fucking spoils you.”

He stuck out his tongue gleefully, reclining into the cold dead arms of his boyfriend, and thinking as Lan Xichen took advantage of the lull in the conversation to ask about how Nie Huaisang’s rather formidable brother was doing.

Nie Huaisang was just getting into a story of an encounter with a wild boar when he suddenly jolted.

They all stared at him.

“Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji peered down in concern.

“Something’s going on with Jin Zixuan, yeah?” he grinned, receiving a few tentative nods, “Soooo all I need to do . . . is talk to other angels!”

He remained grinning as the various faces all just stared at him with maximum doubt.

“I knew I shouldn’t have nodded at the leading question,” Jiang Cheng sighed. “Where are you even going to find Guardian Angels at three in the morning?”

“And would they even _want _to talk to you?” Nie Huaisang squinted at him and he flashed the werewolf a petulant scowl.

“Well, I’m not going to know, if I don’t try.”

“Sleep first,” Lan Wangji reproached, “you can wait until the sun is up.”

“Don’t worry, Lan Zhan!” he dismissed breezily, unfortunately missing his friends’ sudden looks of alarm, “I’m sure I’ll be fine-”

“_Sleep_.”

He couldn’t respond before two sharp pricks pinched his neck and he yelped as fatigue immediately poured into his body and dragged him into unconsciousness.

He awoke feeling more refreshed than ever, lovingly tucked into his bed.

He scowled, rolling up in the blankets, “Stupid vampire boyfriend.”

There was a note on his bedside table, and he grumbled as he picked it up.

_[I hope you slept well Wei Ying. If you require any further assistance, I am of course happy to help._

_Please do not conduct strenuous exercise today, I took half a pint of your blood and would be most upset if you fainted due to anaemia]_

Okay. Sort of thoughtful and sweet vampire boyfriend.

Stretching out his back, he rolled out, grabbed the first set of clothes on his floor, loosely tied back his hair, grabbed his boots and wand, and came clattering down the stairs.

“A-Xian?” Jiang Fengmian was waiting for him in their kitchen, smiling, “Are you ready to go to our favourite Sunday Breakfast? ‘Nuttin_’ _But Flapjacks’?”

Wei Wuxian smiled and humoured him with a shoulder pat, “Only reason to get up before noon, Uncle.”

He left his black boots on the kitchen island as he hunted around for a drink, whilst his Uncle continued unpacking their occasionally used but constantly disorganised dishwasher.

“By the way, have you seen your sister recently?”

He blinked, emerged with a carton of milk and chugged it, pouting.

“. . . No.” He muffled a burp as he dumped it in the trash.

Jiang Fengmian frowned at it.

“Wasn’t that mostly full . . .?”

“Calcium is important!” he hopped up onto a kitchen island and beamed. “But anyways, Uncle, so, if, hypothetically, one wanted to-”

“A-Xian, nothing about to come out of your mouth is hypothetical.”

“. . . HowwoudIfindanentrancetotheangelrealm?”

“I’m sorry?”

He twisted on his stool, “How would I find an entrance to the Angel Realm? To, you know, talk to some . . . angels.”

He pressed his hands together and smiled innocently. Jiang Fengmian just blinked.

“. . . _You _want to talk to _angels_?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not for long - talking to them makes me want to do good. It sucks.”

His Uncle huffed.

“Well, all the entrances to the Angel World are hidden, _but_,” he quickly added, as his godson’s face fell, “they’re always _near _something that has to do with angels.”

Wei Wuxian squinted.

“Mysterious. Yet obvious. I am _on _it!” He snatched his boots off the counter and sprinted out their front door.

Jiang Fengmian just watched him go.

“. . . Would you like me to save you flapjacks?!”

“YES PLEASE!”

“Hmm. . .” Wei Wuxian stuck his head down grungy alley #12, inspecting his checklist, “Hallelujah Angel Food Cake Company?”

Sure enough, the company’s logo had been painted against a random brick wall partially hidden behind trash bags. Carefully stepping around them, he just reached out and awkwardly knocked against the bricks.

“. . . Hello?” He shifted, listened for a moment and then knocked again, “_Hello_?!”

“What are you doing?”

He jumped with a shriek, the ends of his ponytail bouncing as he spun around

A young kid, about ten, was watching him with very raised eyebrows. He was cute, clad in a white waistcoat and neat pants with white ankle socks and slippers. He also looked like he was questioning Wei Wuxian’s sanity, which was only a compliment when it was his _intended _impression.

He just swallowed and patted the bricks, nodding his head, “I’m part of . . . the city’s official . . . _brick _checker, yep, just doing the rounds. All looks good - I’ll just be on, on my way . . .”

The kid did not look any more convinced of his sanity as he gave Wei Wuxian a once over, but his expression did suddenly clear.

“. . . You want to help someone.”

Wei Wuxian froze, and sent him a second look. The kid smiled.

“Your sister, right?”

“. . . How-?”

“I can feel it!”

He blinked, and slowly dropped his hands onto his hips. “All right, small child. Who are you?”

The little thing smiled proudly, “Angel Yuan, a Guardian Angel-in-Training. And I know you’re a wizard.”

He blinked, “Oh cool, can you feel that too?”

“No,” he pointed, “I can see your wand sticking out of your boot.”

“Oh, right,” he glanced down and then shrugged, “Surprised more people don’t notice that bit. Anyway, if you’re an angel, does that mean you can get me to the Angel Dispatch Centre?”

The kid beamed, a veritable halo of happiness around him as he clasped his hands together. “Really?! I mean, I know you needed help, but no one ever asks for _me _to help, they say I’m too young, but I’ve been so desperate to get my wings and-”

“Okay, okay,” he quickly interrupted, “good for you, err, A-Yuan? But, I’m kind of in a hurry?”

“Right, of course. Come here,” A-Yuan skipped past him, to the bit of brick wall beside the brand. A small shove caused it to swing inwards, and shining white light radiated out, “the Angel Realm’s just through here.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. “Wow. Glowing white gateway - totally ‘hidden’.”

A-Yuan just arched that eyebrow back up, “I mean, _you _couldn’t find it.”

Wei Wuxian thought over it for a moment, before nodding.

“Yeah. That’s fair. Doesn’t mean I can’t still feel the need to punch the lights out.”

“Right, yeah, the light attracts moths so just,” the little angel bounced and then just pointed like a tarmac controller, “squint and run.”

“Oh no, no,” in a deft flick of the wrist, he pulled out his shades and rested them over his eyes, “I don’t run.”

Then, as the little boy sprinted in, he amicably strolled in behind.

Wei Wuxian’s lip was still curled as an ornate gold door swung open and A-Yuan dragged him in.“Come on, come on, the Dispatch Centre is right through here!” They stumbled out in a puff of cloud, right into what looked like an overly white and gold version of a fireman’s station. It was filled wall-to-wall with Angels, all busily wandering through the corridor and floors, routinely heading down golden fireman’s poles upon direction from various voices through the loudspeakers. He coughed.

“Damn. So . . . this-?”

“The Dispatch Centre!” A-Yuan grasped his hand and began pulling him around, “See, this is where we get our wings groomed, well, where others get their wings groomed, I don’t have mine yet, and these are the envoy poles that take you straight to the human you have to watch over, oh and then down _here _is where we receive calls-!”

“Ooo, what’s that?” he interrupted, pointing to what like a compass the size of his torso, mounted on a very grandiose podium.

A-Yuan beamed, “It’s the Moral Compass - see how it’s currently set to ‘Good’? It’s the sworn duties of us Guardian Angels to make sure the Angels of Darkness never get a hold of it and turn it to ‘Bad’. If they were to do that, then we’d lose all our powers and the Angels of Darkness would rule.”

He shivered, “Man, that’s a scary thought. I got a shiver - did you get a shiver?”

“Not particularly,” Wei Wuxian was still eyeing it speculatively, “So, theoretically, if some person, not me, were to switch that compass to ‘Bad’, then the Purge would become a reality?”

The little angel paused to send him a very suspicious look and he held up his hands, “Just theorising! Though, GameSp*t just put out a new video game that’s _kind of _expensive and I would _really _like thievery to not be frowned upon for just a moment.”

A-Yuan just shook his head, grabbed his hand dragged him over to one of the call booths. A round woman, with rosy cheeks and curly locks and white wings and she really looked like one of those typical grandmas that insisted you take more food because you looked too thin, rose to meet them.

“Angel Yuan?” she smiled, “Did you just go outside after sensing someone in trouble?”

“I did, Commander!” he announced happily, pulling Wei Wuxian over. The Commander laughed.

“Aha, I’m impressed with your enthusiasm, but I’m a _little _tired of asking you time and time and time and _time _and _time and time _again to stop doing that.”

A-Yuan looked a little put out and, behind him, Wei Wuxian crossed his arms, unimpressed with that sort of tone against the little cutie. Before he could comment, however, the Commander’s phone rang and she turned and immediately picked it up.

“Guardian Angel Dispatch, how can we be of guidance?” She listened pleasantly, hung up the phone and then picked up the loudspeaker, “Angel 51? See the boy about to give a wedgie!”

“Hey!” A-Yuan protested, bouncing up and down as an Angel split off from the crowd and descended the fireman’s pole, “I could have taken that! It will help me get my wings! Please, please, please

“Angel Yuan,” the Commander intruded, “your excitement is good, but don’t you know what happens to angels who get their wings before their ready?”

He shook his head.

The Commander beamed, “Neither do I! Because _no one _gets their wings before they’re ready!”

Wei Wuxian felt that this was a good moment to cut between them, “All right, excuse me for interrupting this little lecture, but I have a question. See, my sister’s been acting a lot meaner than normal. But the thing is, she’s dating an _angel _\- shouldn’t he be steering her to make good choices?”

The Commander nodded, humming, “Well, the mere presence of Angel _should _be encouraging good deeds. You know, when they’re not out_looking _for trouble.” She glanced meaningfully around him and A-Yuan shrugged without guilt, “So how about I send an Angel to check up on them?”

“_Yes_, thank you, that would be wonderful,” he sighed in relief and flashed A-Yuan a grin. The Commander lifted up the loudspeaker.

“Angel Min? Would you go check up on Jiang Yanli?”

Another angel peeled off and went down the fireman’s pole. Wei Wuxian hummed.

“Oh, he’s kind of cute.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” A-Yuan frowned up at him and he shrugged.

“Yes, but I can still find people cute.” With that, he stretched out his back and patted the little angel on the head, “Well, thanks for all the assistance, A-Yuan. I’ll be heading home now, so good luck with those wings!”

“No, wait!” A-Yuan raced after him as he went to head on back out, “I can come with you! Please, please, please!”

“No, no, no!” Wei Wuxian parroted back, shaking his head in exasperation and pulling out his wand.

A-Yuan blinked as the wizard flashed himself out of the Angel realm, before turning to his Commander.

“I think I made a new friend!” he beamed, before racing over to the fireman’s pole and sliding down.

Wei Wuxian cracked his neck as he headed back down the pier towards the restaurant.

He’d barely rounded the corner to go inside when A-Yuan bounced up from his position on the front porch.

“What took you so long?”

“AH!” the wizard jumped, stared at him and then sighed, “A-Yuan, normally when I ditch people, their feelings get hurt and they leave me alone. That’s the beauty of the Ditch.”

“I know,” the kid beamed, “but the more I help you, the sooner I get my wings! Please let me help!”

Wei Wuxian stared at him, before folding his arms, “You’re not going to give up, are you?”

A-Yuan shook his head with a happy and shameless smile, and he smirked.

“I like you.”

“I like you too, Xian-gege!”

“Mm. That’s unnecessary. Well, come on then . . .” he trailed off as the door to their restaurant opened and Jiang Yanli came out, twirling her wand like a baton. As a man walked past with groceries, she hummed and pointed it subtly.

“_Rip Torn, Rip Tailor, Rip Bag.”_

The man jumped as his groceries exploded onto the ground, rendered even more speechless as the sweet girl who cooked for the Lotus Bowl came and began grinding the poor groceries into the ground.

Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan watched with open mouths as she skipped off back to high five her boyfriend, both laughing together.

Wei Wuxian just stared, “That’s . . . the meanest thing she’s ever done. Where’s that Angel? Isn’t he meant to be keeping a check on this? . . . A-Yuan?”

At his side, the little angel had frozen, darting closer and wrapping his arms around Wei Wuxian’s leg.

“Is everything okay?”

“That’s Jin Zixuan . . .” the little angel whispered, voice trembling and he stilled.

“What’s that mean?” He asked, uneasy, running a comforting hand over the trembling head. “You know him?

“Of course I do!” the little Angel hissed, “He’s a _Jin_. _Every _angel knows about that family, even when they were Guardian Angels.”

“. . . What do you mean ‘were’ Guardian Angels?”

The little angel stared up at him, eyes wide with concern, “The whole family was cast out. Now they’re all Angels of Darkness.”

(Wei Wuxian’s heart skipped a beat)

“. . . Jin Zixuan’s . . . an Angel of Darkness?”

A-Yuan nodded.

They watched as Jiang Yanli used magic to pop a baby’s balloon, the pair giggling as the startled mother tried to comfort her crying child.

Wei Wuxian just swallowed.

“Jin Zixuan’s changing her. Shit, we’ve got to stop him!”

“No, Xian-gege!” the little angel clung onto his leg tighter and _wow _it was hard to move like that, “Jin Zixuan’s dangerous! You can’t go charging in!”

“She’s my sister!” he protested, fixated on the pair as they went back inside the restaurant, “I’ve got to do something!”

A-Yuan looked uncomfortable, but nevertheless let go. Wei Wuxian grabbed his hand and pulled him into the restaurant.

“Shijie! Shijie!”

“A-Xian, we’re busy, please go away,” she sighed and he bit back the hurt.

“Yes, I know, I’m sorry, but trust me, you’re not too busy for this,” he clutched her hand, “Jin Zixuan’s been lying to you.”

Behind her, Jin Zixuan frowned at him, and his eyes went veritably narrowed at the sight of the small angel hiding behind Wei Wuxian’s legs. Jiang Yanli just frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s not who he says he is,” he explained urgently, “he’s not a Guardian Angel! He’s been influencing you and _making_you do things you would normally never do!”

She blinked, before turning and staring in nervous curiosity at her boyfriend. 

“. . . A-Xuan?”

“You’d be one of the Angels in Training, wouldn’t you?” he just sneered at the little kid, “Don’t even have your own wings.”

Wei Wuxian scowled darkly, hand moving protectively atop A-Yuan’s head. Jiang Yanli glanced between them.

“You know each other?”

“Not personally.” Jin Zixuan snorted, nose in the air and A-Yuan puffed himself up.

“I’m going to get them soon enough. And I don’t need to _cheat _to get power.”

Jin Zixuan’s jaw clicked.

Wei Wuxian arched his chin up, “Why don’t you tell my sister what you really are?”

“What’s going?” Jiang Cheng emerged from the kitchen, completely confused at the standoff, as his beloved elder sister stared at her boyfriend in blank surprise and his brother stood protectively in front of a small child.

Jin Zixuan glanced around at the whole lot of them watching him, before focusing on Jiang Yanli.

“A-Li, I have been keeping something from you - being with you makes me so happy, and for so long I felt like you wouldn’t ever return my feelings. And then, when you did, I was _planning _on telling you, but I was always so nervous you’d reject me.” He straightened up, and flicked off his designer jacket, “but . . . I trust you. I know something like this wouldn’t change your mind, and I hope you can forgive me for not being brave enough to be upfront.”

The entire restaurant fell silent as huge inky black wings spread out from his back, dusk and mangled feathers drifting to the floor. Wei Wuxian swallowed, immensely disliking the feeling seeping off from those wings. The glass in Jiang Cheng’s hands fell to the floor and shattered. Even in his little den in the corner, Nie Huaisang watched with eyes quickly turning amber.

Jin Zixuan held his head high.

“I whitened my wings whenever I was around you. I didn’t want you to judge me for being an Angel of Darkness.”

“Well, she’s judging you now!” Wei Wuxian sneered over his completely frozen sister’s shoulder, jutting his thumb at the door, “You’ve done nothing by make her act bad! So why don’t you take those grungy looking wings and flap off back to the - where do Angels of Darkness come from?”

“The Dark Realm.”

“_Of fucking course it’s called that _\- back to the Dark realm!”

Jin Zixuan scowled at him, before arching up, arrogance dripping off his demeanour.

“Fine. _If _that’s what A-Li wants.”

Wei Wuxian just scoffed, before pausing as Jiang Yanli delicately stepped forward, reaching up to cup her hand against Jin Zixuan’s cheek.

Her face softened into a smile.“A-Xuan, you should have known I wouldn’t care about what sort of angel you are.”

With that, she reached out and the two wrapped each other into an embrace. Jin Zixuan’s smiled was smug on her shoulder and Wei Wuxian just gaped.

Across the room, Jiang Cheng choked on air, immediately dropping his cleaning rag in alarm.

A-Yuan lifted up onto his toes.

“That doesn’t look like a goodbye hug.”

Wei Wuxian just huffed, before turning and stepping closer.

“Um, Shijie? He’s an Angel of Dark! Ness! It’s in the title!”

“A-Jie, come on! He was lying to you!”

“I don’t care what sort of Angel A-Xuan is,” she smiled, pulling back, “just as long as we’re together.”

He exhaled, relieved, “Oh, that makes me feel good. Or, bad, rather.”

She giggled.

“Shijie!” Wei Wuxian reached out to tug on her wrist, “What are you doing? Can’t you see what he’s doing to you?!”

She turned and pulled off his hand.

“A-Xian, is it really so bad for me to break the rules? Every once in a while!”

“This isn’t _breaking the rules-!”_

“Might I remind you that you’re an outsider who came into our family, brought with you chaos incarnate, actual dark magic, and more calls from school than A-Cheng and myself combined?” she cut him off, tone icy and he was rendered mute in the face of such naked disdain, “That you can’t look at anything without feeling the urge to break it, the peace of my family included? That you still keep your mother’s spell book despite the danger it puts our whole family under? I would think, that of all the people to think they have a right to tell me what to do, it wouldn’t be a destructive wizard who isn’t even actually my brother.”

The entire restaurant was plunged into silence. Wei Wuxian remained completely frozen. Jiang Yanli huffed a smile, pat his cheek and sailed past, arm in arm with Jin Zixuan.

The restaurant door swung shut with a faint _click_.

A-Yuan walked over and silently reached out to hold onto Wei Wuxian’s hand.

“. . . Xian-gege?”

The wizard sniffed.

Jiang Cheng immediately came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, “Hey, you know A-Jie doesn’t think that - it’s that Feathered Bastard doing this!”

Wei Wuxian nodded shakily, reaching up and scrubbing at his eyes, before turning and running up the stairs to their apartment above the restaurant, the little angel hot on his heels.

Nie Huaisang winced, “Should . . . should we go up with him?”

Jiang Cheng shuffled, before shaking his head, “Nah, if we try to intervene, he’ll just get all defensive and closed off. You know how he is.”

A long drawn out wail echoed down the stairs and the pair just stared ahead.

_“. . . Should we get Lan Wangji?!”_ __

_“Yes, absolutely!”_ __

“Xian-gege! Xian-gege!” A-Yuan tapped the mound under the blankets repeatedly, “Come on, Xian-gege, you have to get up! We still need to stop Jin Zixuan!”

“No.”

“We need to save your sister!”

“Don’t wanna,” the wizard mumbled through the blanket, “wanna stay under here. Not moving.”

The little angel slumped, pulling himself up onto the bed and swinging his legs, “It doesn’t make sense though. How did Jin Zixuan affect him so much? You would have thought . . .”

The blankets beside him exploded as Wei Wuxian suddenly sat up straight, frowning.

“Hey, wait one second. What happened to the Angel?”

“ . . . What?”

“Back at the Dispatch Centre, we sent an Angel to check on Shijie. Where did he end up?”

A-Yuan looked at him and then his eyes widened, “Yes! Angel Min! He should have stalled the process!”

“Instead, it sped up,” Wei Wuxian sat up properly, prodding his temple with his wand, “A-Yuan, we need to find that angel.”

“_YES_!!”

The tiny angel leapt off the bed and held out his hand. A silver ring appeared within it and he spun around, beaming.

“All right! Guess what this is! But don’t say halo because then that ruins the game!”

Wei Wuxian blinked and then arched an eyebrow, “I dunno, err . . . bath towel ring.”

A-Yuan squinted at him, “No. Obviously, it’s a halo.”

Wei Wuxian hummed noncommittally.

“Okay, okay, now guess what it does! And don’t say ‘lets one interact with angels’!”

“. . . Lets you interact with angels.”

The little angel stared up at him, askance and he shrugged.

“I was getting bored of the game.”

“Yeah, me too. Come over here!” He grabbed Wei Wuxian’s hand and dragged him over to the window. He frowned in concentration, before the halo lit up bright white, and he held it up, “Okay. Now look through this!”

A bit cautious, he nevertheless reached down to pluck the glowing halo, holding it up over his eye.

“. . . Oh. Damn. _Damn. _There’s so many of you!”

“I know, right! Angels are invisible to humans, so that we can follow you around everywhere! Well, not everywhere, we stay out of bathrooms because our wings get caught in the stalls . .”

Beside every human walking alongside the Pier, a figure in white was trailing them, stopping their hands, whispering in their ear, pulling them away, passing easily through the crowds like ghosts.

Wei Wuxian froze suddenly, twisting the halo clockwise to zoom in. 

A-Yuan frowned, “I didn’t know you could do that . . .”

“A-Yuan? I found our angel.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah, and it’s not a great look.” He tossed the halo back to the angel, grabbed the little hand and sprinted out of his room, “Come on, let’s go!”

“Okay!!”

Madam Yu just stared as the pair came rushing down the stairs, “What bullshit are you up to now? Where has A-Cheng gone?”

“Can’t talk! Saw an angel issue through a halo!”

“I’m going to get my wings!!!”

They didn’t wait for her response as they ran out onto the Pier, and Wei Wuxian led them over to a lone bench. A-Yuan held up his halo and let out a small ‘oh’ of understanding, before twirling it around his wrist and waving it through the air. Piece by piece, the invisibility was removed and the angel, sitting on the end of the bench with his hands tied to the armrest, sighed in relief as they came up beside him.

“What happened?” A-Yuan gasped, eyes wide, as Wei Wuxian tapped his wand against the glowing rope. It fell away with a snap and the angel shook out his wings as he stood up.

“I . . . I don’t really know. I tracked down Jiang Yanli, but before I could approach her, an Angel of Darkness knocked me out and I woke up like this. I think it was one of the Jins.” He suddenly straightened, “Oh, by I did manage to take this from him - and I know stealing is bad, but it was an attempt at self-defence. Can’t understand it though. It’s a bit confusing.”

Wei Wuxian frowned, as he took the paper and crouched over his boots so A-Yuan could read along with him.

“Jin Zixuan’s Angel Of Darkness To-Do List. 1. Date Jiang Yanli, 2. Shampoo Wings, 3. Get Jiang Yanli to steal Moral . . . Compass and WHAT part of this was _confusing_?!”

He stood up, frowning, and folding his arms. A-Yuan frowned and folded his own beside Wei Wuxian.

The angel just shrugged.

Wei Wuxian scoffed, handing back the paper. “Well. You are no longer cute to me.”

The angel blinked, taken aback, but Wei Wuxian just mentally dismissed him as he turned to his little friend.

“Do you know what this means?” A-Yuan was looking ashen, “They’re after the Moral Compass!”

“But it should be fine, right?” he asked uneasily, surely there’s measures in place?”

“No!” A-Yuan vibrated anxiously, “The only steadfast rule is that Angels of Darkness can’t enter the Angel Realm, and similarly, Guardian Angels can’t enter the Dark Realm. But aside from that, there’s nothing to prevent you from just picking up the Moral Compass and leaving!”

“And that’s why he needs, Shijie,” he realised, feeling similarly queasy, “he can’t enter the Angel Realm, but _she _can.”

“And you remember what you’ve got to do, right?” Jin Zixuan checked, as he tugged his girlfriend down the alley, “I’ll open the gate, but you have to go in alone. If you think you can’t do it-”

“A-Xuan,” she sighed, fondly and he had to quash the urge to wrap his arms around that cute face, “I know. You can trust me. I just have to find the Compass and then-”

“I’ll take you and it up to the Dark Realm,” he squeezed her hands, “there’s a very powerful angel in the Dark Realm who wants that Compass more than anything. If you use your magic and take it, then we can be together forever in the Dark Realm.”

She beamed.

“Yes! I like the sound of that!”

He did too.

They came up to the peeling paint on the wall and he winced as he shoved open the bricks. The white light burnt, and he immediately danced back, even as Jiang Yanli frowned at it.

“That’s exceedingly bright, someone really ought to put a dimmer on it-”

“Yes, yes, it’s very annoying,” he quickly interjected before any of her righteousness could seep back, “the trick is to squint and run.”

“Oh, A-Xuan. I do not run.” She held up her wand and conjured a parasol, squeezing his hand in response, before strolling through the gateway. The doors to the Dispatch Centre opened with puffs of white cloud and the Angels all stared at her in curiosity.

The Commander stood up, smiling in greeting.

“Hi there! Did Angel Yuan let you in, because he’s _really _not supposed to do that.”

“Oh, A-Yuan’s the little one who was with A-Xian, yes?” she confirmed, before laughing, “No, no, he didn’t. Is that the S-Class Instrument able to influence the balance of good and evil all across the universe, also known as the Moral Compass?”

The Commander smiled, “Why yes! Why are you asking?”

She beamed, “Because I’m going to steal it!”

The Commander’s smile froze on her face and Jiang Yanli suddenly frowned as she dismissed her parasol, “Oh, and is it heavy? Because I managed to lift both my brothers when I was nine, and my muscles have been going downhill ever since.”

The Commander just swallowed, eyes flitting sideways and Jiang Yanli didn’t waste any time as she lunged for a red button. The alarm melted into a useless puddle of goo under her magic and the Commander snatched up the loudspeaker.

_“She’s working for the Angels of Darkness! Protect the Compass!”_

“_Without wands or cloaks, you all turn into slowpokes_,” she idly chanted, flicking her wand. A shockwave echoed around the centre and every angel racing at her suddenly froze, their movements only going ahead in minute increments. She smiled genially, dancing over without fuss and lightly picking up the Compass that was about the same size as her torso.

“Use the knees, Yanli,” she reminded herself, hefting it up off its podium, and walking away, “everyone! You need to turn! I’ve already left the podium!”

Her only response were the dull sounds of people trying to talk with tongue tied mouths, so she just skipped past and slipped outside.

Jin Zixuan halted in his pacing as soon as she emerged.

“A-Li! You’re back! And that’s-!”

“The Moral Compass~” she smiled. “Now what?”

He beamed, heart pounding. “Now hold on.”

He wrapped his arms around her, the Compass crushed between them, as he spread out his wings and took off in a powerful burst. The air sculpted around the pair as they soared upwards, before the very air warped around them and they flashed up between Realms.

The three teenagers hurried in, glancing around the closed restaurant. Wen Ning, in the process of wiping down tables, jumped.

“Where’s Mum?” Jiang Cheng demanded, and the human pointed out back.

“What’s Wei Ying done now?” he sighed, and Jiang Cheng frowned.

“It’s . . . well, it’s not what _he’s _done this time . . .”

“What are you all talking about?” Madam Yu strode out from the kitchen, frowning over the trio and pausing at their third member. “Lan Wangji? What are you doing here?”

“Wei Ying.”

“Of course,” she sighed irritably, “Well you won’t find him here - about twenty minutes he went running outside with this ten-year-old, screaming about haloes and wings.”

Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang exchanged a short, alarmed look. 

“You know what this means right?” The werewolf murmured, agape.

Jiang Cheng nodded. “He’s going-”

They all jumped as Lan Wangji’s hands slammed down onto the nearest table, golden eyes burning.

“Wei Ying’s adopting without me!” The vampire declared, stricken, before turning and sprinting back out. Jiang Cheng just blinked, eye twitching.

“. . . What?”

“Vampires,” Nie Huaisang shook his head.

Madam Yu just huffed, “Just keep your magic drama out of the shop for _at least _twenty-four hours. _Please_.”

Jin Zixuan lighted them down on the front steps of the domain of the Angels of Darkness, and Jiang Yanli blinked up at the immense stone cathedral hidden amidst the clouds.

“It’s very gothic.”

“Well, when you’re called an Angel of Darkness, you might as well embrace the label. Come on - the main hall’s this way.”

He took her hand and led her in.

Jiang Yanli was silent as they advanced through the stone hallways, emerging into an immense throne room. The ceiling soared above them, the space open for ease of flight, and it was with a brisk flap of his dark wings that Jin Zixuan carried her up to the throne.

Countless Angels of Darkness were moving back and forth, the few guards both built and dressed like bouncers, whilst the others carried various scrolls up and away from the man perched atop it.

He glanced up, smiling genially, hat perfectly straight, as they approached. Jin Zixuan inhaled, turning.

“A-Li, I’d like you to meet Jin Guangyao, the leader of the Dark Angels.”

“It’s my pleasure, sir,” she curtsied politely, watching the Angel descend from his throne quizzically. He smiled welcomingly.

“Ah, the famous Jiang Yanli. Zixuan never stops talking about you.”

He blushed.

Jin Guangyao just smiled magnanimously as he gestured to a wrought iron podium, right at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne.

“Please set it down there, my dear. I’m sure you saw how it worked in the Dispatch Centre. These podiums work to broadcast the effects of the Compass across all the Realms - the balance can only be universally shifted if it is set whilst atop one.”

“Of course,” she moved forward, the sea of Angels splitting around her, as she hefted up the device and rested it in the stand.

Jin Guangyao came up beside her and Jin Zixuan joined her other side, arm around her shoulders.

The Leader turned to the whole crowd, opening up his arms.

“My kin, a monumental day has come upon us - thanks to the efforts of this corrupt young wizard, the Moral Compass is ours!”

Cheers echoed across the whole hall and rested a hand atop the pointing arrow, still stuck up towards ‘Good’.

“And now? The _whole world _is ours.”

The room echoed with shrieks of delight as he forcefully twisted the arrow down to ‘Bad’. The whole realm shuddered as lightning struck the cathedral’s spire, dark light dancing across the immense stained-glass windows, as the clouds beyond turned black, spilling out from the Realm to cover all others.

Under the cheers, Jin Guangyao held out a hand.

“In recognition of your deed, my dear,” he extended a hand and a pair of Angels came out, wielding a pair of black wings between them, “your place amongst us, as promised.”

She inhaled slightly as they clung to her back, her wand sparking defensively in her belt. And then she exhaled, straightened up and flared them experimentally.

As she bared them to the cheering crowds, Jin Guangyao turned to some of the Angels.

“The Guardian Angels are powerless. Most will be fleeing back to the safety of their Realm, so clean up the last of the stragglers. When you get back, we’ll finish the job and destroy her.”

Jin Zixuan went rigid.

As Jin Guangyao retreated back up the stairs to his throne, he hurried after his leader.

“A-Yao,” he asked, uneasy, “what do you mean by ‘destroy her’?”

“Exactly as I said,” the Angel of Darkness blinked, non-plussed, “we needed a wizard to get the Compass, but it would be unfitting to have an outsider amidst us. Still, I never thought we could actually corrupt one. I knew I could count on you, Zixuan.”

He swallowed, “But . . . you said she could stay with us.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Jin Guangyao rolled his eyes, a good-natured smile on his face as if Jin Zixuan had said something hilarious, “a _wizard_? Part of the Dark Realm? It’d be obscene. We’ll distract her until we’ve secured the mundane realm, and then dispose of her.”

Jin Zixuan just swallowed, before straightening up, “Isn’t that a bit hypocritical of you? To say outsiders don’t belong?”

Jin Guangyao went still and turned burning eyes his way. A thin smile lighted up his face.

“Zixuan . . . don’t tell me you’ve actually developed _feelings _for that girl.”

“I-!”

“Might I remind you why I insisted you keep your true identity a secret until you were sure she had been corrupted?” Jin Guangyao shook his head, “She’s a _wizard -_those destructive book worms will always side with the Guardian Angels. If she had been in her right mind when you’d shown your true wings, you know she would have abandoned you on the spot.”

Jin Zixuan winced. 

(His wings curled around him defensively)

Jin Guangyao pat his arm supportively, “Don’t worry, Zixuan. I’ll make sure nothing happens to our family.”

“. . . Right.” He swallowed, “Do you need me to do anything else?”

“I think you’ve done enough. Go! Enjoy this victory!”

“Right. Don’t overwork yourself again . . .”

Jin Guangyao nodded absently, already turning to his aides and Jin Zixuan bolted into the crowd. It was easy to pick out Jiang Yanli, running her hand over the carved walls in fascination.

“A-Li, I need to talk to you,” he caught her wrist, pulling her behind one of the soaring pillars that lined the hall, “I think we need to get out of here.”

She frowned, “Why?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“No, it’s not, silly,” she shook her head, and he felt his heart plummet at the sight of a fond smile, but dulled eyes, “you said it yourself, remember? Here we can be together forever!”

“I know, and I want that more than anything!” he promised, entreating, “But, just quickly, bring out your wand-”

“My wand?” she blinked before nodding in understanding, “Oh right, of course.”

He stilled, “What?”

She drew it out, “If I’m not going back to the Wizard World, I don’t need this!”

Before he could react, could stop her, could even yell in alarm, she grasped both ends and snapped it.

Almost immediately she doubled over and he staggered as the magic contained within aggressively dispersed.

“A-Li!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she reassured him, steadying herself and patting his cheek, “now I’m going to go see if anyone needs some help!”

She skipped off, leaving him behind the pillar. Silently, he reached down and picked up the two snapped halves of her wand.

Fuck.

(What had he done??)

_“_Okay, so we need to find Jin Zixuan, urgently,” A-Yuan explained, as they wandered back into the restaurant. Wei Wuxian had seen his brother, friend and boyfriend dashing out earlier, but they were clearly busy, and he and A-Yuan were _extremely _busy, so he’d waited for them to go past before entering with A-Yuan’s hand in his.

Wei Wuxian just hummed, “Where would we even find them? They wander all over the place on their dates.”

“Well, the target is the Moral Compass, so maybe we could go back to the Dispatch Centre?”

A-Yuan just sighed, “Oh I don’t know.”

“Hey, chin up, A-Yuan, we’ll figure this out,” he ran a hand through the angel’s hair and A-Yuan nodded determinedly.

“Oh there you are, A-Xian,” Jiang Fengmian smiled at him from behind the cash register and the familial look was instant relief, “A-Cheng and the others are looking for you.”

“They are?”

Was that what they’d been running out to find?

(Oops. Oh well.)

Jiang Fengmian was saved from answering when a customer came up.

“I’m sorry, but I ordered extra pork?”

“Ah, our apologies - some of our servers aren’t working right now, so we’re a bit frantic,” they all stared over to where Wen Ning was juggling about five tables worth of orders, “we’ll fix that up right now.”

In the distance, lightning flashed, and Wei Wuxian blinked, turning to see the sky had gone dark.

“Damn. Weatherman fails again-”

“Yeah, you’d better! Waste of my money!” 

He jumped, spinning around as he and A-Yuan gaped at the customer, who had suddenly gotten dark faced. Madam Yu, standing beside her husband, scowled.

“And what does that make you? A waste of space?”

Before Wei Wuxian could interject, two other people in the restaurant bumped into each other and immediately got into a fight. And his calm, quiet, peaceful Uncle upended a whole bottle of sauce on the enraged customer for speaking to his wife like that.

A-Yuan looked positively stricken.

Wei Wuxian just snorted as the man stormed off, bumping into someone outside and immediately getting into a brawl, “Serves him right!”

“No, it doesn’t!” A-Yuan insisted, clinging to him, “The lightning strike! Jin Zixuan’s _already _taken the Compass to the Dark Realm!!”

“Yeah, whatever, hey, Uncle? What did Lan Zhan and the others want?”

“Who cares?” his Uncle shrugged, heading out back with Madam Yu and Wei Wuxian let out a ‘huh’, retrieving some of their chili sauce and drinking it straight. A-Yuan squinted at him.

“No . . . it’s affecting you too, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“The Moral Compass! It’s ‘Bad’! You’re Bad!”

“I’m not going Bad, you little twerp!” he rolled his eyes and the boy winced, “If Shijie wants to mess up the world, she can do what she wants! I’ll just bulldoze that Jin Bastard next time he walks in!”

“But-!”

“Oh, for Magic’s sake, go away, I’ve helped you enough today.”

A-Yuan just pouted up at him, before sighing slightly, “Don’t drink out of something you serve customers with, Xian-gege. Stay safe.”

He hurried out of the restaurant and Wei Wuxian watched him go, an uncomfortable pit in his stomach that he decided to deal with by ignoring.

As always, the family attic was the best place to procrastinate and after wedging a wooden beam across their portal so a bunch of immoral wizards couldn’t come bursting in from the Wizarding World, he set about gathering up supplies to prank Jiang Cheng.

The door slammed open and he glanced up.

Jin Zixuan hurried in, looking the least put together he had ever been.

“Wei Wuxian! You’re still here!”

“Mm, well, not for long!” he held up a huge rustling sack that the Dark Angel stared at in alarm, “These angry badgers and my _obnoxious _little brother are about to have a screaming contest~”

“Wait, Wei Wuxian,” Jin Zixuan caught his arm just as he went to walk past, “please, your sister is in danger, A-Yao plans to destroy him!”

“A-Yao?” Wei Wuxian squinted at him, shushed his bag of badgers and then his confusion cleared as he grinned, “That sounds like what Jiang Cheng’s third aunt yelled whenever I made her soup. Ha! I’m funny-”

“No, please, he’s the leader of all the Angels of Darkness, he’s planning to destroy your sister!”

Wei Wuxian’s cheery expression didn’t change, but the angel flinched as the voice dropped to something cold and cynical.

“Then why did you take Shijie to him?”

He just shifted, desperate, “Because I didn’t know he was planning to do this, I was tricked too, Wei Wuxian!”

Wei Wuxian stared at him in blank surprise for a hot minute. And then he burst into laughter.“Ahahaha, you’re gonna have to try _way_harder than that if you want to outlie a liar!” he continued heading back out and Jin Zixuan just grabbed his wrist tighter.

“No, Wei Wuxian, please, I’m telling the truth. It was A-Yao’s plan and I followed it but I,” his voice warbled, “I never expected to fall in love with your sister.”

Wei Wuxian stared at him, a bit surprised.

He blinked.

“Wait, are you . . . are you crying?”

Jin Zixuan just turned his head away, even as a second tear fell down that frustratingly good-looking cheek.

“I thought you were an Angel of Darkness, but you’re kind of starting to sound Good here.”

The Angel just wiped away his tears and shrugged helplessly. “I guess that’s what love does to you. Now come on, I know there’s still some Good in you!” he tapped a nail against Wei Wuxian’s chest, and he pouted.

“No, there isn’t-_fuck_, there it is! _Hnnnn!! _FINE! Hold this!”

He slammed his badger sack into Jin Zixuan’s arms and marched off.

“Um . . . Wei Wuxian?” the badgers inside the sack gave a rumbling growl, “Wei Wuxian?!”

He entered the Late Night Bite to find it entirely empty.

Well. That wouldn’t do.

“LAN ZHAN!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, knowing well that the other vampires sleeping in the coffins underneath wouldn’t be so much as mildly disturbed with the sun still up, “SAVE ME!”

In the next moment, a hand was clutching at his shoulder, his body was pressed against an icy chest and Lan Wangji was glancing around warily.

He grinned.

“Aww, you broke your record - Lan Zhan, what are you doing?”

“Where is he?” Lan Wangji asked, intently and he blinked as his hands were dramatically clasped, “Your child?”

“Oh, A-Yuan?” he blinked and then winced, “I, err, might have scared him back to the Dispatch Centre?”

“Dispatch Centre?” Lan Wangji echoed, immediately frowning and Wei Wuxian shrugged.

“Yeah, he’s a Guardian Angel-In-Training. He’s been helping me with Shijie.” At the reminder, he straightened, “By the way, I need your help. Do you know how you get into the Dark Realm?”

“The _Dark _Realm?” Lan Wangji frowned, “Wei Ying, what’s going on?”

“Very long story, but in short - Shijie’s in danger, she’s in the Dark Realm and and I need to save her from some Angel of Darkness named ‘A-Yao’. So - do you know?”

“A-Yao?” Lan Wangji frowned, “Do you mean Jin Guangyao?”

“Wait, you know him?”

“No,_I _don’t.” Lan Wangji just shook his head and clutched his shoulders, “He is dangerous. Allow me to awaken Brother and he can deal with this.”

“Sun’s not yet set Lan Zhan, and we don’t have time to waste!”

“Regardless, we must,” he rubbed a soothing circle into Wei Wuxian’s frantic back, “Only an angel can get you into the Dark Realm. We need Brother’s connections regardless.”

“Right, right,” he exhaled, before blinking and looking around, “Wait, weren’t Jiang Cheng and Nie-xiong with you?”

“Once the Moral Compass shifted, they began making out in public,” Lan Wangji frowned, “Indecent.”

“You know the Moral Compass shifted?”

“Indeed,” the vampire nodded, “I sensed it affect me.”

“. . . Damn, your stats are op. But then why aren’t you, you know, satisfying your unquenchable thirst on innocents?”

“Attacking innocents is forbidden.”

Wei Wuxian blinked and then pulled back out of the grip, “Lan Zhan . . . are you telling me . . . your family rules are more important than your own moral compass?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not even surprised,” Wei Ying snickered to himself he shook his himself, “never mind, could you at least try to get your Elder Brother up? Shijie could be in danger any moment now!”

Lan Wangji waffled, before nodding, “I will . . . _attempt _to wake him before the schedule. Please wait here.”

“You got it~”

“I mean it.”

Wei Wuxian just rolled his eyes as he sat down on one of the tables as Lan Wangji descended into the basement. As much as he wanted to move, he couldn’t help it. He _did _need an angel, and Lan Xichen had said he knew Angels of Darkness and

Wait.

What was he waiting for?

He knew where _all _the angels were!

Quickly scribbling an apology note for Lan Wangji, as well as a request for him to retrieve Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, he turned and sprinted out of the Late Night Bite.

He might have bashed open the door to the Angel Dispatch Centre (but that was okay, it was an emergency, he was justified) as he stormed into to the room full of calls left ringing without anyone answering them.

“Come on, everyone, I need your help too . . .” he trailed off and stared around. The entire Dispatch Centre was unmoving, Guardian Angels prone, draped over golden railings and stairs, none so much as glancing at the countless phones going off.

He clapped his hands importantly.

“Um, rise and shine, Angels of Darkness to defeat? Good to make triumph?” he walked over to the Commander from earlier, picking up the loudspeaker, “_So come on! Up and at ‘em, everyone we have some Angel of Darkness butt to kick! . . . Okay, who really likes hearing the word ‘butt’ on the loudspeaker? Haha, but~”_

None of them so much as budged. A few even rolled their eyes.

The Commander just sighed helplessly, “It’s pointless - your sister already took the Moral Compass and switched it to ‘Bad’. Guardian Angels are powerless! I can’t even scratch my own wings. Speaking of, would you be a dear?”

Wei Wuxian huffed, reaching out to the indicated spot and scratching as he glanced around.

And then he frowned and took another, harder look around.

“Hey, where’s A-Yuan?”

“Oh, he went to the Dark Realm to save your sister,” the Commander replied absently, letting out a faint hum of contentment as he found the right spot.

Wei Wuxian stopped scratching.

“Wait, you let that tiny child go to take on the Angels of Darkness _alone_?!”

“He’s in the Dark Realm, but he only got in because he doesn’t have his wings. Full Guardian Angels can’t enter the Dark Realm.”

Wei Wuxian just gaped, “What’s that little do-gooder thinking?? He’s going to get annihilated!!”

Without waiting for another response, he turned, walked to a more open spot and yanked out his wand. The Commander caught him.

“Don’t bother - wizard magic isn’t strong enough to get you into the Dark Realm.”

“_Isn’t _strong enough, does not mean, _can’t be made _strong enough,” he reasoned, eyes shining, and the Commander hurried on in alarm.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you should take a pair of wings.”

Wei Wuxian paused, and then turned to look at him in excitement. “Wait, wings as in actual angel allow-me-to-fly wings?”

The Commander nodded, “Oh yes. We keep spares.” She pointed them out and he let out a happy chirp as he walked over to the stand, picked his size and pulled off two honest-to-god white wings, shinning with ethereal light. “Oh my god, what do these _do_? Do they shoot lasers?!”

The Commander blinked, shaking her head, “No, they’re just wings - you’ll need them to get to the Dark Realm.”

Wei Wuxian pouted, slumping slightly, “Oh, well, you know what’s good in a fight? Lasers. You know what isn’t? _Feathers!_”

She shrugged helplessly and he sighed, hefting them up, “Well, I’ll look cute anyway.”

“95% of Guardian Angels have evacuated - we should have the remaining resistance down by the end of the week.”“Not good enough - I expect it done by tomorrow evening,” he replied evenly and his aide hastily nodded and hurried away. He turned to another, “Where is Zixuan?”

The Angel of Darkness shrugged, “No one has seen him for a few hours now,” she responded and he huffed.

“Lazy Legitimate. Oh well, might as well get this done whilst he’s not here to complain about it. Jiang Yanli?”

“Yes?” she stepped out, curious and he smiled.

“I was wondering, about your wand-”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she waved a dismissive hand, “I’ve already snapped it.”

He paused.

“You’ve already snapped it?”

She nodded and he burst into laughter.

“Ah, well, then no reason to delay! You’ve retrieved the Compass and fulfilled your purpose. I have no more use of you. Enjoy the much faster trip back to the mundane realm.”

“I don’t understand,” Jiang Yanli tilted her head in confusion, “A-Xuan said we’d be here together?”

“Oh, by the love of everything evil, you think he really cares? He used you and now he’s gone, that’s what Angels of Darkness do. Take her.”

She frowned, trying to struggle as two of the burly Dark Angel Bouncers grabbed each of her arms, dragging her to the centre of the hall. With a click of Jin Guangyao’s fingers, part of the floor opened up to reveal the very, very long drop below.Jiang Yanli stuttered in place, gasping as icy wind bit at her fingers and nose.

“It’s not that far down,” Jin Guangyao stood beside her, still rather pleasant, “if you’re an angel with wings.” 

He tapped her wings and she yelped as they began dissolving.

“What?! I don’t understand!”

“You snapped your wand, my dear - I couldn’t do this until you were powerless to stop me. And it’s not like Zixuan’s going to step in and help you.”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

The entire crowd all paused, and turned.

A-Yuan stood in the entrance to the hall, panting heavily.

“Give me a second. Taking the stairs isn’t fun.”

“A Guardian Angel?” Jin Guangyao squinted, before turning to an aide, exasperated, “How’d he get in?”

“Let her go!” the little angel stubbornly repeated, steadying himself and marching in, “and give us back the Moral Compass! It’s _ours_!”

They all gaped.

And then burst into laughter.

The tiny angel just puffed out his cheeks and tried to channel Xian-gege. “Fine. Laugh. Because I’m about to make all of you cry!”

Before they could respond to that, he moved and kneed an angel between the legs.

The male angel let out a high-pitched squeak as he went down and the little angel immediately jumped onto his back, wrapping his arms around his neck. The others all swarmed, but as the bouncer got back up and tried to shake A-Yuan off, the little angel let his legs dangle and kicked them all in the face. One managed to snatch his waist and he shrieked as he was dragged off.

Jin Guangyao just sighed, “Of course it’s like this. Poor child doesn’t even have wings-”

“FUCK!” the angel who’d grabbed him yelled, as A-Yuan slammed his shoe down on the sensitive bridge of his foot, ducking under the arms and making a beeline for the Moral Compass. Jin Guangyao frowned.

“Stop him!” he ordered, but the little thing ran circles around them, hands outstretched for the arrow currently pointing to ‘Bad’.

He ran straight into Jiang Yanli’s arms and he jumped as he was quickly trapped in place.

“Miss Jiang! Get the Compass! We need to go!”

“Jin Guangyao,” she smiled sweetly, and A-Yuan went white, “let we deal with this one. To protect the Moral Compass and earn my place.”

“No! No, no! Don’t listen to him! Don’t trust him!”

“An Angel of Darkness devoted to keeping the Compass in the Dark Realm?” Jin Guangyao huffed, “Well, I suppose we can’t argue with that. Chuck the wingless brat down below.”

“Sir.”

“No, _no_, snap out of it, I’m here to save you!”

“I think you need to be more concerned about saving yourself, little one,” she corrected easily, and he shrieked as he was pulled closer to the hole in the hall.

“SHIJIE, STOP!!”

They all startled as the doors slammed open and a mass of white feathers came careening in.

Jin Guangyao frowned.

“Is _anyone _watching the front door?”

“EVERYONE, _clear _the landing zone and be careful, these things do NOT have brakes!”

All the angels looked up just in time for about four of them to receive a boot to the face as they and the white-winged wizard all went down in a big tumble of feathers. Wei Wuxian, atop his unintended pile, bounced back to his feet, dusting himself off.

“Well, that was softer than I was expecting.” 

“Xian-gege!” A-Yuan dashed free in the moment of surprise, dodging around the pile of downed angels, and flinging himself into the wizard’s arms, “You came!”

“Hey, if anyone’s had practice at doing the right thing even when they _really _want to do the wrong thing, it’s me.” He moved the kid’s hand into his own and ran over to where Jiang Yanli was watching, a small frown on her face. “Shijie, you probably don’t care, but we need to leave, right now.”

“Why?”

“Because if we don’t go, then your dumb angel boyfriend is going to cry. More.”

She just shook her head, baffled, “So?”

Wei Wuxian just groaned, and A-Yuan tugged on him.

“Moral Compass, remember? She has no interest in the right thing.”

Wei Wuxian blinked, turned to the little angel, and then back, to stare at the Compass set up on its pedestal, as the four angels he’d downed began to shakily clamber back up.

“A-Yuan, keep them down.”

“Yes, sir!”

He darted around the pack whilst the little angel tackled the recovering Angels of Darkness, snatching up the immense compass and grabbing the arrow.

“What are you doing here?”

He jumped, spinning around in surprise (even his wings puffed up), to find a smiling man standing right behind him, deep black wings spreading out from his shoulders.

“You’d be Jin Guangyao, I’d take it,” he greeted pleasantly, “no worries, I’ll just take this and Shijie and be out of your hair.”

The man chuckled, “Ah, Wei Wuxian, the stories about you really don’t do you justice.”

He paused, “Wait, what? What stories?”

“Oh, didn’t you know?” the man’s face immediately puckered in fake guilt. “It’s just-”

“Don’t listen to him!” A-Yuan shrieked, clinging to the leg of a huge angel bouncer as he stomped closer, “Switch it to ‘Good’!”

The angel’s leader immediately dashed forward and Wei Wuxian yelped, tightening his grip and yanking the arrow back to the top.

Lightning burst from the dark skies around them and he yelped partially stumbling, in time to see all the Angels of Darkness suddenly collapsing. A-Yuan let out a mighty roar and tripped up the immense bouncer angel. 

And then the Compass was plucked out from his hands.

“A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli knocked him to the ground, “Don’t touch things that aren’t yours.”

In a deft movement, she switched it back to ‘Bad.

The lightning flashed again and the Angels of Darkness all exhaled, clambering back up to their feet.

Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian had long since outgrown his older sister and he deftly reached out and snatched it back before she could return it to the pedestal, quickly returning it to ‘Good’, lightning flashed, angels went down, yada yada.

“Shijie,” he entreated, as she turned to him, frown darkening, “look, I know you don’t understand but _trust me_, we need to get this out of here.”

“A-Xian,” she advanced, a fight in her eyes and holy shit he did _not _want to fight his beloved sister, “hand it over.”

“I thought you said this thing would turn her good!” he glanced back at the small angel, who appeared to be German supplexing one of the weakened Dark Angel Bouncers.

“It gives Guardian Angels power so that they can return to guiding humans - but proper Guardian Angels can’t enter the Dark Realm. There’s no one here to influence her back to good!”

_“What.”_

He jumped, as the Compass almost flew out of his hands, before gripping it tighter. Jiang Yanli frowned, reaching out with a spare hand to switch it back to ‘Bad’. Behind him, A-Yuan squeaked as after the necessary lightning flash, the Bouncers all surrounded him.

“Let go!” She demanded

“You let go!”

“I asked first!”

“I’m baby! I get what I want!”

“You’re going to _break _it, A-Xian!”

“No, you are, see there’s already a crack on your end~”

“Oh no, really?” she gasped, hands flying to her mouth as she went to inspect it, and he cackled in triumph, seizing the perfectly intact Compass and darting off.

And ran smack bang into four Angels of Darkness, two of whom were gripping A-Yuan’s thin arms.

The Compass tumbled out of his arms and Jiang Yanli scooped it up deftly, backing away as the Angels of Darkness surrounded her brother. Wei Wuxian immediately dug out the wand in his boot, raising it up with a yell, as the tool began to glow.

He didn’t even get the chance to say a syllable.

_“Xian-gege!”_

Wei Wuxian gagged as he was kicked in the stomach, crashing into the ground, and then none-too-gently hauled up onto his knees, Angels of Darkness pinning his arms back.

Jin Guangyao slowly paced forward, idly picking up the still-active wand. A small smile grew over his face.

“Ah, Wei Wuxian, you’ve given us a bit of trouble. So, I’m sure you’ll find it understandable that I really want to get rid of you now,” he twirled the wand, before holding it out, “but _I _can’t exactly use this. Yanli, dear, would you destroy your little brother for me?”

She nodded placidly, handing the angel the Compass and taking her A-Xian’s wand, raising it up and pointing the end at his face.

He swallowed.

“Shijie,” he begged, “please. Don’t. They’ll only turn on you after me, _don’t listen to them_.”

She just smiled pleasantly at him and raised it up to the sky.

“No!!!” A-Yuan screamed and Wei Wuxian winced at what that child was about to see.

And then a figure swooped from the sculpted arches above and snatched the raised wand out of Jiang Yanli’s hand. She blinked, staring up in confusion at her empty hand, as all the other angels backed away in surprise.

(Jin Guangyao’s eyes narrowed)

Jin Zixuan dropped onto one of the bannisters surrounding the throne, huge black wings flared menacingly, the wand clutched in his hands.

“A-Li. Don’t.”

“A-Xuan!” she beamed, stretching out her hands in delight, “Where were you? I was missing you-!”

“A-Li,” he caught her hands before she could reach him, gritting his teeth, “please, don’t listen to A-Yao. If you hurt Wei Wuxian, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!”

“What?” she frowned at the blocked hands, before tears prickled the edges of her eyes, “don’t . . . you want to be with me anymore?”

“Hey! Don’t make my Shijie cry!! I’ll kill you!”

Jin Zixuan turned to stare at the wizard, “What is your problem?! I’m trying to save you, you asshole!!”

“Zixuan,” they all stiffened as Jin Guangyao returned, Compass out of his hands and back on the podium, his own wings arched up ever so aggressively, “what’s the meaning of this?”

The Angel just flared his wings. At this distance, his own were clearly larger than Jin Guangyao’s, immense and menacing.

“Let them go. _Now_.”

“Or what?” the leader of the Angels smiled, “Tell me, how much of this have you thought through? Betraying your own kin? What, do you think the girl who you betrayed and used and lied to will take you in after this?”

Jin Zixuan flinched.

“Don’t listen to him! He’s just trying to - _urgh!_”

An angel slammed his fist into Wei Wuxian’s jaw and he spat blood as his lip split. And in the moment, Jin Guangyao attacked.

His hand clasped around the wand and Jin Zixuan barely had time to grasp it before they were both caught in a tug-of-war over the magical tool.

“_Let. Go. Jerk_.” Jin Zixuan got out between grit teeth and Jin Guangyao smiled tightly.

“You’ve always been able to do and say what you want. Father always did like you best.”

“For Darkness’s sake, why do you and Dad _not _get along? _You _got all his sleazy genes.”

“_You take that back, you son of a bitch_.”

“Don’t insult my mother!”

Wei Wuxian, in the process of brawling his way to freedom, paused.

“. . . Wait? Father?”

They both paused to stare at him, side-by-side, and oh fuck he could see it.

“What, do you think we just randomly picked the same last name?” Jin Zixuan asked, baffled and Jin Guangyao huffed.

“Zixuan is my half-twin brother.”

“What the fuck is a half-twin?”

“We were born on the same day,” Jin Zixuan explained, rolling his eyes, “but our mothers are different.”

“Oh. _Oh_. _Holy shit_.”

“I know - Father took ‘Dark’ to a whole new level,” Jin Guangyao spat on the ground, “good riddance.”

Jin Zixuan took that moment to try and tug the wand free. Jin Guangyao immediately tensed, clinging tighter, but Jin Zixuan, with an all-mighty tug, yanked it free . . .

and it flew out of his grip, rolled across the stone floor, fell out the hole in the hall and went down into the mundane realm below.

They all stared dumbly as the glowing light dropped out of sight.

“WHA-?? MY _WAND_!!!”

Jin Guangyao just scowled, turning to his brother.

“Zixuan! What are you doing?!”

“Fixing this!” he yelled back, “I’m sorry I ever helped you with this!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jin Guangyao threw up his hands, “Angels of Darkness can’t feel _sorry_.”

“Oh yeah?”

They all spun to find Wei Wuxian standing beside the podium, struggling to heft it off.

“Use your knees, not your back, A-Xian.”

“Thank you, Shijie,” he yanked it off, grinned, and pulled the arrow back up to ‘Good’.

All the angels were down in another lightning flash and he grinned as, across the hall, Jin Zixuan remained standing.

Said angel glanced down at his brother.

“Oh, and I’m telling A-Yu that _you’re _the one who accidentally vaporised his book.”

“_You said you’d keep that a secret!_”

Wei Wuxian just laughed, turned and found Jiang Yanli standing beside him.

He sighed.

“Oh not again.”

He danced back, but she still got a hold of the Compass and both siblings began tugging.

The angels were all frozen in tension as the two wizards both yanked furiously on the precious Compass.

A-Yuan brightened, from where he had managed to down one of the angels holding his arm, “Don’t worry, Xian-gege! I’ll take Jiang Yanli out with a halo!”

Wei Wuxian had no more warning before something very fast and very solid slammed into the back of his head. Fortunately, he had always been stronger than Shijie, so he could afford to let go with one hand, to turn around in irritation.

A-Yuan was watching with shining eyes and he caved.

“You’re doing great, sweetie,” he managed to get out, smiling around the pain, “gege’s proud of you.”

A-Yuan beamed, and he returned his attention to the Compass.

“A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli spoke softly, voice cold, “let go.”

“Shijie, I know I must seem dumb right now, but _trust me_, you don’t want to do this.”

“What would an outsider know about me?”

“_Ha_! You’ve already used that one, you don’t actually have that big a store of insults, _do you_?”

Ever so minutely, she glared. The black wings behind her flared and her feet lifted off the ground as she gave them a single furious beat. Wei Wuxian yelped as the Compass was almost yanked clean out of his hands, flaring his own temporary limbs and fighting back. They both stumbled, as the action lifted them both up into the air, feathers flying as both pairs of wings flapped furiously.

“A-Li!” Jin Zixuan stumbled forward, hands outstretched, white with anxiety, as both wizards rose higher and higher, neither all that stable in air, but neither willing to give in for even a moment.

“In the name of everything that is Magic, why are you _now _giving Madam Yu’s stubbornness a run for its money?” He demanded; jaw clenched as he strained.

“Why can you never do what you’re told?!!”

“Because I know!” he tugged harder, “That if I let this go, you’re never coming home! And home without you isn’t home!”

She blinked, frowned and then groaned slightly, anger finally pulling at her features, as, instead of pulling, she suddenly pushed.

Wei Wuxian gasped as he was blasted back, colliding with one of the stone arches soaring above the hall, temporary wings cracking and breaking under the pressure, greying rapidly as the cracking stone rained dust upon them.

He managed to snatch the stone arch just in time for the wings to stop working, but it meant he had to release the Compass and Jiang Yanli immediately pulled back, safely wafting back down to the ground, Compass firmly in her arms and shaking her head, dazed.

And Jin Zixuan wrapped his arms around her.

“A-Li!” he begged, “Stop this! Please! Your brother’s going to _die_!”

“A-Xuan, let me go.”

“Return the Compass, escape with him to the mundane realm, _please_.”

He gasped as a heel drove into the bridge of his foot, letting go on reflex as Jiang Yanli slipped free of his arms.

No, _no_, surely there had to be _something _that would snap her out of it!

“Yanli,” Jin Guangyao drawled, “deal with your boyfriend. His acting out is beginning to grind.”

Jin Zixuan just blinked before the Moral Compass was slammed into his head and he stumbled back. Jiang Yanli smiled down at him, holding up the immense device with a smile.

“Oops.”

She advanced and he yelped as his feet were swept out, a surprisingly strong hand shoving him onto his back against the stone floor. Above, Wei Wuxian shifted, trying desperately to see what was happening despite the old stone arch literally crumbling under his fingers.

She stepped over her prone boyfriend, leaning down to cup a hand against his cheek, smiling.

“Farewell, A-Xuan.”

Jin Zixuan begged his mother would forgive him for treating A-Li so discourteously, and then reached up and pulled her head down.

Jiang Yanli gasped, muffled surprise, as he kissed her desperately, fingers bunched in her hair and red flaring across his whole face. She blinked at him, over and over, before suddenly frowning and swaying.

“A . . . Xuan?”

_“A-Li!”_ __

_“Shijie!”_

“What’s going on?” she asked, puzzled, confusion marring her sweet expression, “We were . . . we were . . .”

“I know, it’s confusing, I’m _so so_sorry,” he clambered back up, reaching out to help her wobble to her feet, “but right now, we need to move.”

“All right,” she nodded, “and you could kiss me again. That was nice. You should have done that sooner.”

He blushed.

“Wait, are you telling me you haven’t _kissed _her yet? Dude! What the hell kind of - _holy fucking shit_!!”

Jiang Yanli spun at the voice and was greeted with the sight of her sweet baby brother clinging for dear life over a drop that one really needed functioning wings to survive.

“_A-Xian!!” _She instantly reached down for her wand, freezing when her hand came up with nothing and Jin Zixuan immediately fanned out his wings to take off.

He was wrenched back before he could, Jin Guangyao’s face grim as his hands were white around his brother’s arm.

“Oh no, you’re not getting every victory today.”

“For Darkness’s sake, let me go, A-Yao! He’s going to _die_!”

There was a very alarming crack from the ledge above and Wei Wuxian’s hands trembled from the strain, as the stone arch, little by little, began to fall apart.

“Xian-gege!” A-Yuan yelped, free of his now powerless captors but still very much wingless.

“A-Yuan, don’t look!” he could only yell, fingers increasingly white from holding on so long to something that was increasingly degrading.

(I’m going to fall)

(I’m going to fall)

(Holy _shit _I’m going to-)

The stone finally crumbled away, and his grip scrabbled over the dust, right before he slipped off into free fall.

For a brief moment, he was weightless, tumbling through the air as about three voices all dimly yelled his name, tipping back to spy the stone floor his body was about to quite graphically splatter against.

(Well, shit. Guess I finally fucked up big time)

He closed his eyes, ignoring Jiang Yanli’s hysterical scream.

And something very strong and very cold slammed into his side.

He gasped, head bouncing, as powerful arms wrapped around him, and they both slammed into the stone floor.

(Honestly, looking back at the torn-up ground, the floor seemed to get the worst end of the deal)

His brain bounced in his skull and the world blurred, as bone white arms laid him gently down, like he was something fragile and delicate.

Golden eyes hovered over his face, wide with fear.

“I said to _wait_,” Lan Zhan said, voice an amusing mix of sullen and stressed and he just barked a faintly hysterical laugh, reaching up to cradle those cheeks.

“Ah, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, you know how good I am at waiting . . . hehe, guess I can always depeng . . . dependle on you to . . . to save ma . . . meh . . . me.”

“Wei Ying?”

He giggled again.

“He’s probably mildly concussed.” A figure dropped down onto his other side, black wings up to offer them privacy.

He squinted.

“Peacock? Then what abut . . . about Jin Guangyaoyao?”

“Don’t worry,” Jin Zixuan moved over so he could see, “it’s all over.”

Jin Guangyao was shuffling in place, wings hefted up defensively, as holy shit was that Nie Huaisang’s terrifying older brother? It was!

Nie Mingjue was roaring something at the angel, claws and fangs poking out through his human physique, as Lan Xichen stood beside him, bone white under the moon and blood red eyes drooping in visceral disappointment.

“I brought them.” Lan Zhan explained, redrawing his attention because wow that was such a nice voice.

“A-Xian!” he blinked over to see Jiang Yanli ducking under her boyfriend’s wings to come kneel beside him, tearing up as her warm hands clasped his.

He frowned.

“N-no, don’t cry. Don’t cry, Shijie.”

“Xian-gege!”

Something slammed into his side and they all jumped as he groaned.

“Ah, kid-” Jin Zixuan began and the little Angel glared at him.

“A-Yuan!” The little angel insisted.

“A-Yuan,” Lan Zhan reprimanded gently, “Be gentle.”

“Okay . . .”

“Don’t listen to _him_, he’s a vampire, what the fuck?”

“A-Xuan, don’t be rude.”

Wei Wuxian just laughed, still prone on the ground with everyone clustered around him.

And then he woke up at home.

He sat up immediately, before groaning as pain ran rampant through his skull, clutching it as spots danced. The pain, combined with what had to be a very large chunk of blackout in his memory bank, made him feel distinctly hungover, but Shijie and Lan Zhan wouldn’t have let him drink in front of A-Yuan, right?

“Xian-gege . . .”

He blinked and glanced down. Speaking of, sleeping against his legs was A-Yuan, small chest rising and falling with each breath, his white vest a stark contrast to the black metal covers Wei Wuxian had over his bed. On the other side of his legs, Lan Zhan had pulled up his desk chair, and was also asleep in it, head resting on the bed covers.

He smiled fondly, before reaching out and gently shaking the elder away.

“Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan~”

The vampire’s eyes flicked open and he immediately straightened. “Wei Ying!”

A hand came to his forehead and he laughed, “it’s not a fever, Lan Zhan, just a bit of brain bouncing.”

“Do you need to throw up?” his boyfriend just asked, deadly serious, “Jiang Yanli said it was often accompanied by nausea.”

“Don’t worry about me! I’m plenty used to being concussed!”

That did not seem to alleviate any of Lan Zhan’s worry, and he sighed fondly, reaching down to press a kiss to that porcelain forehead.

“Seriously, Lan Zhan, you swooped in right on time. Thank you.”

“Not on time,” the other muttered, churlish, wrapping his fingers into Wei Wuxian’s sheets, “Wei Ying almost died. He was up there alone.”

“No I wasn’t! I had A-Yuan, oh and I guess the Peacock came in at clutch, tch.”

“Mm,” Lan Zhan glanced at the small sleeping angel, “don’t worry. I will pay child support.”

“Huh?”

“He will grow up to be the exemplary Angel.” 

“Lan Zhan, your determined voice is a little bit alarming,” he huffed, reaching down to run fingers through A-Yuan’s hair, before blinking, “umm, what happened after your brother and the Nie pack’s Big Boss showed up? I kind of had a black out.”

The vampire blinked, “You were quite out of it, so we left Brother and Pack Leader Nie to sort out Jin Guangyao. You giggled most of the way down to the mundane realm, and then began babbling nonsense on the route back to Lotus Pier. You fully passed out twenty minutes before we returned to the restaurant.”

“. . . Did Jin Zixuan get video?”

“No. I threatened to destroy his phone if he tried,” Lan Zhan reached up to tuck away one of his locks of hair, “the cutest Wei Yings are for me only.”

He cooed, cradling that beautiful face, “Of course. And the cutest Lan Zhans are mine and mine alone.”

The vampire nodded in agreement, before continuing.

“Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang had spent the whole evening playing poker with Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. They had been fielding questions all evening - and then your Uncle revealed he had known you had gone after the Angels since the beginning of the day.”

“Well, duh, I asked him where to find them. Were they angry?”

“Jiang Wanyin was. Nie Huaisang was happy to know his brother has found someone else to pick on.”

“And A-Yuan?”

“We told him to go back and report. He insisted he stay with you. Jiang Yanli returned the Moral Compass in the meantime and apologised. She is currently up in your attic with Jin Zixuan.”

He blinked and his eyes immediately began shifting.

Lan Zhan tilted his head. “Would you like to see her?”

“Kinda? I feel like there’s some stuff we still need to clear up.” Careful not to budge the sleeping angel, he clambered out of bed, still a bit wobbly. Lan Zhan hovered around as he stabilised himself, before he pulled on his boots and did up the pants they’d left him to sleep in.

“I should be fine to get up myself, can you watch A-Yuan?”

The vampire nodded and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but beam at him, reaching up to press a kiss against that cheek and hurrying off, zipping up his fly as he went.

He met Jin Zixuan coming out just before he reached the attic. The angel blinked, black wings reflexively bunching in tighter.

“. . . Wei Wuxian. Congratulations on waking up.”

“Thanks, I guess?” he arched an eyebrow, frowning at the clearly distracted look on the other’s face, “what’s up with that look?”

“N-Nothing,” the angel cleared his throat, “A-Li is still upstairs, if you are looking for her.”

“Oh, I am! See ya!” he danced past, taking the stairs two at a time and throwing himself into their attic.

Jiang Yanli was hunched over her desk, fiddling with one of the Jiang’s immense spell books and he bounced over to her side.

“Good morning, Shijie!”

“A-Xian?” she turned, immediately brightening, “Oh, A-Xian, I’m so glad you’re awake! You were sleeping so sweetly~”

“Lan Zhan took pictures, didn’t he?”

She let out a slight laugh, before turning and picking something up off the desk.

“I found it in the park, on the way back home from the Angel Dispatch Centre,” she held out his wand, pristine and polished like it never was in his possession, “it was beside a two-headed dog.”

He shivered at the mere mental image, and she smiled fondly as he took it, checking it over for scratches.

“A-Xian, I thought I told you to put a passcode on it?”

He coughed. “It’s a gimmick, Shijie. A gimmick.”

“I don’t think that dog started off two-headed.”

He snorted, dropping onto the couch’s arm rest. “. . . How about yours?”

She sighed, reaching back and picking up the two broken halves, “It’s fine - A-Cheng’s already looking for a spell to fix it. I guess I should be thankful A-Xuan kept the pieces at all.”

“Hmm, he would, wouldn’t he?”

“And A-Xian?”

“Ya?”

“I owe you something else,” she got up out of her chair, came right up beside him and wrapped her arms around him. He blinked, before reaching up and burying his face in her neck. She stroked his back.

“Thank you for coming to save me, XianXian. I’m so sorry for all those things said to you.”

He shrugged, “Ah, well, it’s not like you’re wrong.”

“A few little things. Nothing compared to the extraordinary amount of joy you brought into our lives.” She pulled back and brushed back some of his hair, “And there was something I said that was definitely wrong. You are, and always will be, my brother.”

He blinked and then just reached forward to bury his face back in her neck.

“. . . I love you. So much.”

“Hmm~ I love my cute little XianXian too.”

He snorted, pulling back and scrubbing at his eyes, as she came to sit beside him.

“You saved the world today, A-Xian. That’s got to earn you some points.”

“Yeah, well, I also busted up that pair of wings the angels gave me so that’s definitely some deduction.” He fiddled with his wand, “Why does all this bullshit keep happening to us?” 

“. . . We’re wizards. I don’t think we have a choice.”

He just sighed, as she leant over and rested her head on his shoulder, neither sibling moving for quite some time.

“So the kid’s not yours?”

“Nope!” Wei Wuxian responded for the fifth time, before startling, “A-Yuan, be careful! You’re going to trail your wings in your soup!”

“Sorry, Xian-gege!” the angel chirped, sitting at the table and fluttering his newly earnt wings happily, “I’m still getting used to them!”

“Yes, well, you might have done a feat of indescribable bravery and helped to restore the balance of morality, but if you think I can’t ground you with magic for waving those things around, you’re dead wrong.”

“Yep!”

Jiang Cheng was still squinting at him, one of Uncle Jiang’s immense spell books open on his lap, “Seriously. He’s not your kid?”

“_No, _why do you keep _asking _that?” he turned and glared at his younger brother. Jiang Yanli, drying some bowls beside him, giggled into her hand.

On the other side of the table, Lan Wangji dutifully sprouted his own bat wings, showing the young boy how to hold them up correctly.

Jiang Cheng huffed, turning to the vampire, “So how’d Lan Xichen know Jin Zixuan’s brother anyway?”

“Sworn brothers. They will deal with him. It is not the first time.”

They all stared at him.

“Yeah, they all made a pact, like, four hundred years ago or something, to have a friendship as intimate as brotherhood.” Nie Huaisang piped up, still in a frightfully good mood since his big brother had apparently not even come home for _one_rant since he’d been so preoccupied with Jin Guangyao. Jiang Cheng just scoffed.

“Err, I’ve seen the way Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue treat each other - ‘brothers’ my ass.”

“Jiang Cheng don’t be crass, there’s a child here,” Wei Wuxian gasped, scandalised. Lan Wangji covered up A-Yuan’s ears and stared at the man that he was determined to make his brother-in-law, icy disapproval leaching off.

“All right, stop glaring at me, you undead statue.”

“Leave them alone, A-Cheng, it’s sweet,” Jiang Yanli scolded, smiling fondly as she went off to their big fridge. Jiang Cheng watched her go, frowning.

“Is she really okay?”

“She’s worried about Jin Zixuan.”

They all turned to stare at A-Yuan and he sighed, “Angel, remember?”

“Well, then, why is she worried?” Jiang Cheng just demanded, and the angel shrugged.

“He came out looking pretty upset yesterday morning,” Wei Wuxian mused, “Maybe they had a fight?”

“How wouldn’t they?” Nie Huaisang pointed out, “Shit kind of went down between them.”“And he hasn’t even come back since. What a feathered douche-”

The door to the restaurant slammed open and they all startled.

Jin Zixuan stood in the doorway, panting.

“Spoke too soon,” Wei Wuxian scowled, instead reaching over to stroke A-Yuan’s hair.

Jin Zixuan came in, outfit as pristine as ever, even if he looked like was about to scream and run away.

“Is A-Li here?”

They all pointed to the kitchen and he straightened up as she emerged, wide-eyed.

“. . . A-Xuan.” 

“I thought over what you said yesterday, A-Li,” he marched up, and it would be intimidating if he wasn’t sweating to visibly, “and I’ve got my answer.”

She looked glum.

“. . . Yes?”

They all jumped as his enormous black wings burst from his back, fanning out very majestically and oh he was showing off whenever he did that, huh.

“A-Li, Jiang Yanli,” he spoke, tone deeply serious, “I breached you trust, your honour and your dignity by treating you so disrespectfully. However, my own feelings haven’t changed. You are still the greatest woman I have ever met. Every moment I am with you makes me the happiest angel alive.”

They were gaining an audience. Madam Yu had come out from the kitchen, Uncle Jiang out from their accounts room. Several of the Angels of Darkness even came in through the front door, wings out, forming an honour guard around the pair.

Jin Zixuan exhaled, but managed not to stutter.

“Jiang Yanli, I know no other happiness than being by your side. I promise to protect you, to ensure your happiness and never ever again allow you to be treated thusly. Therefore. . . what I want to ask is . . .”

He dropped to his knee and pulled out a ring.

“I, Jin Zixuan, Second Prince of the Angels of Darkness, humbly ask for your hand in marriage.”The entire audience was agape as the other Angels of Darkness bowed alongside him.

Jiang Yanli was speechless.

Her brothers were spitting at the audacity, the informality, the complete lack of consulting the family of the bride-

“And I know, you’re not fully prepared for that right now,” he quickly added on, “I know you want to finish your degree and properly take over the restaurant, but I’m not asking it to be now. I’m just asking for it to be us.”

She blinked, before a faint chuckle suddenly bubbled up and she dropped down to throw herself around him.

“Oh, A-Xuan! Yes, yes, yes, yes! Whenever is fine, you dork! As long as we’re together!”

He blushed furiously, and the cheers from the audience became laughs as he went veritably crimson as he slid the beautiful ring of carved iron and black diamond onto her finger.

In the midst of Wei Wuxian’s whooping and throwing edible flowers over the two, a hand caught his shoulder and he turned around.

Lan Wangji was scowling.

“Ours will be better.”

“Huh?”

“My family is thousands of years old. I’m rich. Mine will be better.”

_“Huh?! _Lan Zhan did you . . . did you just??”

“Better,” Lan Wangji promised him, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop himself from biting down on his bottom lip, throwing himself across the table and kissing his vampire happily.

A-Yuan, beside them, rolled his eyes and simply contented himself with taking a picture when they weren’t watching.

**Author's Note:**

> (Lan Zhan proposed to him on his birthday, at midnight, in the courtyard of Count Dracula's actual castle - family friend connection)
> 
> LQR is the headmaster of the school - WWX was solidly convinced he was a vampire for years and then Lan Zhan transferred in, confirmed it, and he's been rubbing it in to JC since
> 
> NHS: "howling is not instinct, it is aRt."  
JC: okay, honey, but not at 3am pls.
> 
> WWX is set up to become the Wei family wizard, but needs to prove he won't take after his mother's by doing good deeds.  
JC and JYL are in competition as to who'll be the Jiang family wizard, but they've pretty much decided that JC will get and she'll take over the restaurant - but she has a lot of points for being the eldest and simply always doing nice things, and WWX keeps on stealing points from JC so he still hasn't caught up yet 
> 
> WN is Harper and there's a shameful lack of him in this fic
> 
> Madam Yu just wanted to start a restaurant
> 
> Thank you for reading and Happy Halloween!!


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